The present invention relates to devices for drying things and, more particularly, to a device for drying things by blowing dry air thereon.
Wet articles such as bathing suits, recently washed clothing, used towels and the like can be conveniently, albeit not rapidly, dried simply by hanging the articles over a convenient catch basin for the moisture such as a sink or tub. Drying of the article may be accelerated first by wring drying it (if the article can be wrung and there is no objection to wrinkles therein) or, towel drying it (if a dry towel is available and there is no objection to lint being transferred to the article from the towel). The preferred technique by far is to cause a stream of dry air to impinge upon the article and/or pass therethrough. Theoretically this could be accomplished by moving the article at a rapid rate around a dry room, but this is somewhat impractical. Alternatively, a stream of dry air may be directed at and/or through a stationary article, but this requires a dry air source, such as a dry air blower, and convenient places to hang the blower and the articles to be dried so that they are in appropriate relationship--that is, the dry air stream impinges upon the article.
When one is away from one's own bathroom, one typically impresses into duty a conventional hair blower, provided one has had the foresight to bring one and provided there are appropriate means for mounting the blower and the articles to be dried in appropriate juxtaposition to each other and to the electrical socket. It will be appreciated that the conventional hair blower may be set to provide either a stream of cool, presumably dry air or heated air. The latter is preferred for many drying purposes because room temperature air and hot air have different drying capabilities, the hot air being capable of removing and holding a greater amount of moisture and thus exerting a greater drying effect than the room temperature air. Unfortunately, hot air blowers tend to be bulky and frequently a traveler or visitor will not carry one in his baggage. Indeed, some of the top world class luxury hotels have commenced to supply portable hair blowers to their guests as part of the bathroom amenities.
Even so, hair blowers are designed for hair blowing and not for drying other articles such as towels, clothing, bathing suits and the like. Such articles require a sustained stream of hot air provided over a relatively large area, for example, so that several articles of clothing may be dried at once. However conventional portable hair blowers typically include a protective shut-off switch which deactivates the blower when it overheats from prolonged use; such blowers cannot provide the prolonged stream required to dry large articles of clothing. Conventional portable hair blowers typically produce a hot air stream of relatively small cross sectional area; such a blower would obviously be ineffective in drying large articles of clothing or a large number of small articles of clothing.
Thus the need remains for a drying device which can produce a prolonged hot air stream of substantial cross sectional area in a hotel room, bathroom, guest bathroom, beach cabana, or the like. When it is not in use, the drying device must be of compact orientation so that it does not occupy valuable space unnecessarily. Preferably the device should be capable of being secured to the room in which it is to be used so as to prevent removal therefrom by intentionally or unintentionally acquisitive guests.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drying device which is capable of providing a prolonged stream of dry air of a substantial cross section.
Another object is to provide such a device which provides a dry air stream of hot air.
A further object is to provide such a device which has a compact orientation when not in use.
It is also an object to provide such a device which includes means for supporting the articles to be dried in the dry air stream.
It is another object to provide such a device which in one embodiment can be fixedly secured to a wall.
It is yet another object to provide such a device which in one embodiment can be used to dry clothing or hair.
It is a further object to provide such a device which is of hardy, rugged and economical construction, easy and economical to use and maintain.
It has now been found that the above and related objects of the present invention are obtained in a drying center comprising a cabinet and a drop board secured to the cabinet and movable between a dropped position wherein the board is substantially horizontal and a raised position wherein the board is substantially vertical. The drop board defines a plenum and in the dropped position has a upper surface defining a plurality of spaced apertures in gaseous communication with the plenum. Means are provided for operatively connecting the plenum and an air source for blowing air.
The drop board is preferably pivotally mounted at one end in the cabinet, the drying center additionally comprising means limiting movement of the drop board from the raised position beyond the dropped position. The drop board in the raised position typically comprises at least a portion of the cabinet front wall. The plenum is substantially coextensive with the plurality of apertures, and the connecting means operatively connects the air source and the plenum (and hence the apertures) when the drop board is in the dropped position and disconnects the same when the drop board is in the raised position. The air source is a source of heated dry air.
Support means, normally disposed within the cabinet, are provided for supporting objects to be dried over the apertures when the board is in the dropped position. The support means is movable between a withdrawn position totally within the cabinet and an extended position extending at least partially out o the cabinet.
The drying center preferably additionally comprising a normally closed port in gaseous communication with the air source, the port being adapted to provide gaseous communication between the air source and an air driven external drying device such as a hair dryer cap.
The drying center may be used in combination with a room having a wall, the cabinet optionally being flush mounted on the wall, with the wall of the room and the front wall of said cabinet being flush. Alternatively, the drying center may be portable and additionally include means secured to the cabinet for carrying the drying center.
In a preferred embodiment the drying center comprises a housing and plenum means defining a plenum and having a surface defining a plurality of spaced apertures in gaseous communication with the plenum. Mounting mean mount the plenum means on the housing for movement between an operative position wherein at least some of the plurality of spaced apertures are substantially spaced from the housing and a storage position wherein the plenum means acts as a closure for the housing. Connecting means operatively connect the plenum means and an air source for blowing air.